Missions Methods and Principles
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 57, No. 1 – Fall 2014
Managing Editor: Terry L. Wilder
Cynthia Shafer-Elliott. BibleWorld; Sheffield: Equinox, 2012. 256 pages + 20 illus. Hard- cover, $99.95.
The first impression a reader might get from the title of this book is that it is a cookbook of the Bible or that it is about food during Bible times. The book does not say much about the types of food used during the biblical period, nor for that matter, cooking. The book is actually a monograph about reconstructing domestic space in Iron Age settlements. It is an archaeological monograph that is an update of the author’s dissertation that contributes to the sub-discipline of household archaeology.
The first chapter discusses Shafer-Elliott’s theoretical approach using Goody’s food-preparation paradigm. This is the chapter that introduces her theoretical framework and thesis for her work. The emphasis is on the process of food production and consumption. Ironically not much has been done on food preparation in biblical times. The emphasis has been on the dietary laws of the Old Testament or the agrarian nature of the Israelite settlement. Shafer-Elliott correctly notes that any study of food in ancient Israel needs to develop a robust interplay between the biblical texts and the nature of the archaeological record.
The next chapters discuss settlement classification and a spatial analysis of Iron II Judahite settlements. This chapter consists of two parts. The first part is an analysis of settlement terms found in the Old Testament (e.g. city/town, village, farmstead). The second part is site settlement hierarchy as defined by social scientists (e.g. archaeologists and anthropologists). Shafer-Elliott notes that the biblical text defines settlements as fortified vs. unfortified while archaeologists define settlements based on their size. She proposes, rightfully so, that biblical scholars and archaeolo- gists should define settlements based on the following criteria: 1) royal settlements (capitals), 2) fortified settlements, 3) unfortified settlements, and 4) farmsteads.
Chapter 3 continues the discussion of spatial analysis with an emphasis on the archaeological data. The author focuses the research on four sites (Lachish, Halif, Khirbet er-Ras, and Pisgat Ze’ev); providing an extensive archaeological description of the sites and a distribution of the four major types of cooking pots/jugs and cooking installations. She makes an interesting observation: domestic homes in cities/ fortified settlements had larger cooking vessels than those homes in rural settlements. This pattern was unexpected as we would assume the larger rural domestic quarters housed larger extended family units versus the smaller homes in the city that would have a smaller family unit. The tentative conclusion is that the smaller cooking vessels are best for boiling cereals—perhaps implying that those in the city ate more meat vs. cereals in the rural areas.
Chapter 4 looks at ethnographic studies and ancient Near Eastern literature and art to assist in reconstructing cooking practices. She notes that baking among modern Middle Eastern cultures provides one of the best avenues for data.
Chapter 5 will probably be the most informative chapters for pastors and teachers. The author analyzes four texts (Gen 18:1-8, 25:29-34, Judg 6:19-21, and 2 Sam 13:5-10) from the Old Testament that focus on food preparation in domestic contexts. While these are unusual circumstances (e.g. Abraham meeting “angels,” Tamar confronting her father in law, Amnon, Gideon meeting his divine visitor, and Jacob deceiving his father to obtain his brother’s birthright); insights into food preparation and its role in hospitality is provided. One of the most insightful is that both men and women were involved in food preparation.
Shafer-Elliott’s monograph is an important contribution for household archaeology during the biblical period. Looking at only four case studies each for archaeology and the biblical texts is a weakness of the study. Nevertheless, the research is innovative and will offer new avenues of research for the biblical historian and biblical archaeologists. Unfortunately, this book is inaccessible for most biblical scholars, students, and pastors. A more useful book would be What Did the Ancient Israelites Eat? Diet in Biblical Times by Nathan MacDonald (Grand Rapids: Eerd- mans, 2008).
